Illuminating electric clock and call system.



No. 889,533. PATE NTED JUNE .2, 1908. G. B MAAS.

ILLUMINATING ELECTRIC CLOCK AND CALL SYSTEM= APPLICATION FILED DEG. 9. 1907.

Arum INYENTOR (M 5 1%; GeorgcBernhmdMans.

BY :7 M W A'r'm.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BERNHARD MAAS,. OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ILLUMINATING ELECTRIC CLOCK AND CALL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed December 9, 1907. Serial'No. 405,704.

' tains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates toan illuminating electric clock and call system for use in hotels for the convenience of guests and for other purposes, all substantiallyas shown and descrlbed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is illustrated in a single diagrammatic view, showing a complete and operative system or installation comprising a clock C and an electric time board B. The clock presumabl is the official clock of the hotel in the hote oflice, and the time boards B are in the rooms of the guests, two such boards being shown in the drawings and boards for all rooms are alike. The clock is provided with the usual hour and minute hands, 2 and 3, respectively, and each hand is connected by a wire, 4 and 5 respectively, with a battery or equivalent source of electric current, D. Each hand also contacts with segments 6 and 7 respectively, on the clock face, the segments 6 running between hours and the segments 7 between the half hour marks on the dial but covering full hours in their length or duration.

The hour segments 6 are connected by wires 8 to the respective hour indicating glow lam s E, numbered from 1 to 12 consecutive y and arranged along the top of the boards B, and the several minute. segments 7 are connected by wires 9 with the minute glow lamps L along the bottom of boards B.

Plugs 10 and 12 res ectively, in contact making sockets 14 and 15 for the hour and minute lam s, E and L, respectively, determine the il umination of the lamps, which occurs when the time for which said plugs are set shall be reached by the clock. Again, mysystemmakes provision for an alarm or call to be sounded when the hour previously as we shall presently see, and to this endI have connected up a call or alarm bell H with the respective lamps, the said plugs being rovided-with wires 16 and 17 respective y which are con led up with the bell and throw it in to the iluminating circuit with the lamps E and L.

Now the operation is as follows: Assuming that a guest in any room within the system desires to'be called at a predetermined time fixed by himself, say five minutes after four, he places the hour plug in the socket for lamp indicated by the figure 4 in, the hour column, and the minute plug in the socket for the lamp bearing the figure 5 in the minute column. Then as clo'ck C reaches this time by its hands the circuit will be closed on the lamps 4 and 5 thus plugged and'on bell H in the circuit, and the lamps W'll glow and the bell ring until the circuit is roken by withdrawal of plug or the clock moves off the local circuit which was established by the lugs. A uest can in this way both fix the our of wa enjng by a time indicator in his room which is made to glow and reveal the hour to his vision and have a bell or alarm call to'arouse him from sleep. Furthermore, in case a guest wakens at any hour of the night and desires to know the time, he can at once ascertain the time b operating switch S, which will cause those lamps in the hour an 'minute columns which corres 0nd 'to the time on the clock to glow and te the hour and minute while the other lam s remain dark. This will not ring the bel because the lu s and thoug they be set for a particular hour or fraction thereof, they are not rendered effective until the plugged time has been reached.

Now obviously, several modifications of the system are suggested; thus, if the lights be not used the connections will be through the lug sockets only to the bell; or thebell can e omitted and only the lights be used.

Various uses of either or both these. indicators could readily be suggested, and the sysare not used in this operation,

tem may be employed for various urposes as it may be found useful or practica le without departin from the spirit or scope of the inventlon. Again, the articular manner of utilizin the clock to ma e and break circuits by the Lands and segments may be more or less modified and remain within the invention, the essential thing in this operation determined on by the guest shall be reache being to communicate the hour .and art thereof in minutes'electrically from the clbck to the time boards, or the lamps thereon.

The several boards B have been referred to herein as being located in rooms, but this is not necessarily the case unless they be used as in hotels, but they may be located in any room or station near to or remote from the clock, and the numbers or characters representing the several lamps in each series may be directly upon the lamp or in such relation thereto as will leave no doubt about their desi ations.

hat I claim is 1. A system substantially as described.

2. The combination of an electrically equipped clock adapted to report hours and fractions thereof, with a time board having two series of glow lamps corresponding to the hours and fractions on the clock, a sounding device with said board and electrical connections between said clock and lamps and sounding device, and a separate plug for each series of lam s.

3. A board and two series of glow lamps thereon representing divisions of time, as hours and (parts thereof, a socket for each lamp in sai board and a llpluigufor each series of sockets, an electrica y rnished clock having two series of contacts for the hands thereof and connections therefrom to said lamps respectively, whereb both the hour and a fraction thereof may e ascertained at a station distant from said clock.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE BERNHARD MAAS. Witnesses:

E. M. FISHER, R. B. MOSER. 

